


Bill Nye

by Ladycat



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s03e10-e11 The Return, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-11
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2018-01-12 00:09:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1179576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladycat/pseuds/Ladycat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sheppard's oddly too-loud laughter makes Rodney start. "It's a nice tv?" Sheppard says, which, dammit, Rodney didn't mean to say out loud. "That's what you start with? Not the food, not the show we got, but that she has a nice tv?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bill Nye

Elizabeth winks as she waves Rodney into the room. It's... disconcerting, to say the least. Rodney looks over his shoulder, wanting to ask Sheppard what the hell _that_ meant, but Sheppard is looking just as smug. Happily smug, which hey, Rodney isn't complaining about. But still.

Smug is _his_ look. He's quite certain he never gave permission for anyone else to wear it.

"Did you slip Elizabeth some of that 'gum' Teyla gave you?" he accuses. Carson swears there are no hallucinatory properties, but that's irrelevant. Rodney _knows_ it causes hallucinations, because the one time he was foolish enough to partake killed far too many braincells. And ended with a naked Colonel on his lap, and clearly -- _hallucination_. A bizarre one.

Although, Sheppard actually had the audacity to pout and ignore him for three whole days, afterwards. He was quiet almost a week longer, too, after Rodney yelled at him for being homophobic about a _hallucination_.

A seriously, seriously freaky hallucination.

Sheppard twists his mouth, head tilting back the way it always does when the 'gum' is reference. Really, can't he be over this yet? Rodney has enough to deal with, in the form of nightmares and the occasional daymare he refuses to call 'fantasy'. "Just go inside, McKay," Sheppard says, trying for long-suffering. There's too much amusement to his voice, though. "Stop being so damned difficult."

Gaping at such a blatantly unfair statement of his personality, it takes Rodney a full thirty seconds to realize that a) Elizabeth's quarters are twice the size of his own (excusable only since she's so close to the gateroom and therefore is disturbed a lot), b) the entire compliment of senior staff members, including Teyla, and Ronon, and the head of _Botany_ are present, c) there's a great deal of food on a table in the back, where Ronon is hovering protectively (Rodney almost smiles since he knows Ronon will move away the moment Rodney appears; they have an understanding regarding food), and d) _Bill Nye the Science Guy_ is playing on the television Elizabeth swore for weeks she didn't have.

It's a nice tv.

Sheppard's oddly too-loud laughter makes Rodney start. "It's a nice tv?" Sheppard says, which, dammit, Rodney didn't mean to say _out loud_. "That's what you start with? Not the food, not the show we got, but that she has a _nice tv?"_

Rodney doesn't bother attempting to mock. He just waves a hand and stomps over to the food table where Ronon, as suspected, immediately gives him the sort-of-not-smiles that he seems to only give Rodney -- and presents him with a plate full of goodies. Including, oh, oh _god_ , those little bread-thingies with mushrooms in them! And pigs-in-a-blanket!

Ronon flicks his head gently. Rodney cries out, but it's habitual by now. "Go," Ronon tells him. "Eat. Sheppard says you'll mock this tall, angular guy to pieces."

He'll what? Blinking, Rodney pops the breaded-mushroom thing in his mouth -- oh, _heaven_ \-- and makes his way to where Zelenka and several others are sitting. "Ah, Rodney," Zelenka says, merry and kind, and Rodney immediately suspects their mugs are not holding juice.

He's right, of course. The whiff he gets when one is pressed into his free hand singes his nose-hairs. "Sit, eat, relax!" Zelenka continues jovially. "Doctor Weir, she has suggested party. Several, around the city, so that underlings are not afraid to misbehave with superiors standing right there."

Rodney stares. And looks around. And eats another breaded-thing that isn't mushroom, but cheesy and delicious. "If someone suggested we party," and he's honestly not complaining about that part of it, "why wasn't I _told?"_

Elizabeth is practically dancing as she glides up to him. "Because, Rodney, you would've made it a huge production and pissed everyone off. So, instead, we're going to piss _you_ off." She ignores his splutters and pushes him towards the tv, where Sheppard is already sitting with a space beside him, grinning like he's about to look at some really, really big guns.

Then Rodney _actually_ looks at the television and starts listening. "Is he _crazy?_ he snaps, glaring as Nye's placid, camel-like face stares back at him, explaining the nature of gravity. "That's not -- oh, come _on_ , are you talking to five year olds? That statement is general enough to be useless!"

He doesn't hear the laughter around him, although he's pretty sure it's there. He doesn't care, though. There's food, and alcohol, and Atlantis is secure, and Sheppard's on one side of him, Teyla sliding into the other with a gentle request for clarification that he _really does know_ is just a means of provoking him more.

And beyond them, personnel eat and laugh. They're happy. _He's_ happy, he realizes, as he insults Nye's parentage.

It's a really good thing.

"Are you _sure_ you feel that way, McKay?" Sheppard says, laughter bell-tone clear since he isn't _actually_ laughing and sounding like a deformed gorilla.

"Yeah, didn't you say just the opposite, yesterday?"

Rodney twists so he can glare up at Ronon. "Are you implying that you pay attention to anything I say? No, don't answer that, I wouldn't want you to lie to me. Go get me more food. And Teyla, too -- she needs to try the breaded things. Now, mountain-man! You've people to feed! Isn't that, like, some instinctive necessity for you?"

Ronon actually _laughs out loud_ as he goes back to the table, setting off a chain reaction even Rodney finds difficult to resist. The ape has a surprisingly pleasant laugh.

It's the overlays and harmonies he likes best, though. All those voices just _laughing._ He hasn't heard that in far, far too long, and even if he never tells a soul -- he treasures every moment of it.


End file.
